Hello! And thank you!

A bit about me first...

In order to set expectations it's important for me to make clear that I am not a production company with years of experience. I am a one person operation, and I've never made a film before. But this is a project I am very passionate about and I wouldn't be pursuing it if I wasn't convinced I can make a success of it. 

I'm Dan Rooke; a dad to three kids, I work full-time as a software tester, and I've worked for the same company since I was 18 (I'm 43 now).

I'm a massive geek, I love films, I like the idea of gaming but never seem to find time to do it. I love walking, especially if it involves an abandoned building or an underpass with lots of spray-paint covered surfaces! Photography has always been a big interest of mine and I'm starting to take that more seriously now.

Ever since I was a teenager I've wanted to be involved in film production, I've reached a point in life now where I feel I can start to follow my ambitions and start to make things happen, graffiti has interested me for a long time and the idea for a documentary about graffiti is something that existed in my head for a few years and I'm making efforts to make that a reality. I am fitting this in around work and family commitments.

My expectations from the interviews...

I have no expectations, I don't even really think of them as interviews. They are informal chats (albeit with a camera and a light in your face) where we can talk about graffiti/street art. I am very grateful to everybody who agrees to be part of the process. So please don't think that there is any pressure to "perform", I may approach the interview with some topics to cover, but I honestly have no specific demands of anyone.

What can you expect of me?

Before we meet we will probably have a chat about what we will talk about. I will set up my equipment and probably fiddle with it a bit and test it to make sure it's all set, and then I'll hit record.

Whilst talking I will repeat questions, this isn't because I feel you've given a bad answer! This is because for the purposes of editing it's useful to have several responses sometimes. 

I will explain that when I ask a question, that it would be useful if you repeat the question in the response. So for example, if I were to ask "what's your favourite food?" instead of replying "chips", you'd reply something along the lines of "What's my favourite food? Hmm, probably chips". Again, this is for the benefit of editing and is typical for interviews.

Interviewing requires wearing a mic. This connects to a wireless transmitter and the mic is itself is positioned under your clothing as per any standard set up. For each interview I will provide the mic piece and a fresh (hypoallergenic) sticky piece for you to attach the mic. 

Needless to say I will be respectful of your time and my priority is for you to feel comfortable and at ease, I sincerely hope that everyone involved enjoys the process. In the case of artists who wish to maintain anonymity - I completely respect this and will make sure your anonymity is not compromised.

What's that you say about anonymity?

Some artists may well have created works which aren't strictly legal due to where they were created. If you would like to be anonymised that is not a problem. I can pixelate your face and apply some basic audio adjustments to alter your voice. 

A lot of artists have multiple identities, some artists have separate names to sperate commissioned murals from more 'fun' pieces. I will honour any identity you wish to convey and not link the two (or three, or four!).

What questions will you ask?

There are no set questions, the points for discussion will likely differ depending on your role and experiences. For example an artist may have some different points of discussion compared to a gallery manager, however Id love to cover anything with anyone  - all voices are valid.

I'm sure a conversation will grow organically, but here are some typical talking points...

For Graffiti hunters:

• What do you find so appealing about graffiti?

• How much time do you spend looking for graffiti?

• What's the longest you've travelled specifically to see works of graffiti?

• Do you think we should reassess graffiti hotspots as legitimate art spaces?

• Do you think communities are served by artists? Or victims of vandalism?

• Is graffiti not given the recognition it deserves at an artform?

For Graffiti artists:

• What inspired you to start with graffiti?

• What impact do you feel your graffiti has on a location?

• What impact has graffiti had on your life? Has it changed your life?

• What does art mean to you?

• How does it feel to express yourself through art? How would you express yourself without it?

• Do you feel a sense of community being a graffiti artist? (Specifically being part of a crew)

For those involved in community arts projects:

• What problems have you seen with graffiti?

• Has community art helped reflect community identity?

• What positive outcomes have you seen as a direct result of Street Art? 

• Have you seen Street Art provide representation for people who felt they had no voice?

• How are you involved with the Street Art scene?

• Have you observed legal walls/spaces result in a reduction in illegal graffiti?

Why did you pick me to be interviewed?

I've spent quite some time thinking about what topics I want to cover and who I'd like to speak with. I've contacted people I feel will really bring value to the documentary and this could be because of a distinct perspective/experience, it could be because of niche knowledge I'd love to explore, it may be because you are uniquely expressive. I don't have any tickbox of criteria but if I've reached out, it's because I really do want to hear what you have to say.

What prep have you done?

Almost none. But deliberately so.

I've done loads of research into the technical aspects of the hardware I need but I have not actively researched graffiti/street art because I feel it will compromise the documentary rather than benefit it. I want to explore the impact of street art in the documentary, not form my own ideas and then shape the film around that. In order for this to be an authentic piece of work it has to be approached without preconceptions, it's crucial that the documentary is a genuine look at graffiti and doesn't serve to reinforce my own ideas. I obviously have some strong opinions and ideas but I am tryinfg to focus on the questions I want to answer rather than the answers I already have.

What happens with the footage?

The footage will be captured, then stored on local hard drives and backed up in the Cloud. Editing is a long process and it will take a considerable amount of time to process the interviews. But this will be done in two stages:

1. Produce a "clean" interview

This means combining the footage from 2 cameras and 2 mics. It involves taking all versions of footage and editing into a linear interview.

2. The Documentary cut

The final cut can only be achieved once all interviews are conducted and a narrative plan is made. Although this is a documentary it will still require some element of story-boarding to present snippets of interviews to support the central thread.

I will have the right to use the footage and edit as I see fit for the documentary and edit into any promotional material (such as a trailer). However, I am more than happy for you to have access to your "clean" cut once edited. I believe that you should be able to use this without restriction.

The sad truth is that within a 90 minute film, only small amounts of the individual interviews will be used. I am keen to preserve the individual interviews (which is why I intend to make a "clean" cut of each one) so that these can also be made available for anyone who wishes to see a full version of any interview.

What Equipment will you have?

I have opted to use Micro Four Thirds Cameras as they are excellent for independent film makers. 

My main gear list is:

Cameras:

• Panasonic Lumix GH5

• Panasonic Lumix GH5 Mk2

Lenses:

• Leica 25-50mm 1.7 

• Leica 12mm 1.4

Lights/Modifiers: 

• Amaran 60D and an Aputure Light Dome Mini 2

• Amaran P60x

• Smaller LED accent lights

Mic:

• Primary MIc is a Rode Go 2 with Lav

• Secondary mic is a Rode Video Mic Pro Plus

Miscellaneous:

I have light stands, tripods, batteries, some small LED fill lights, light bounce.

For interviews "out in the field" I'll be taking lighter options and make use of batteries. For interviews in a office/home environment I will use the heavier equipment. I feel I am prepared for all eventualities!